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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23802034">Missing</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/StandingTallAgainstGiants/pseuds/StandingTallAgainstGiants'>StandingTallAgainstGiants</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCIS</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:02:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,454</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23802034</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/StandingTallAgainstGiants/pseuds/StandingTallAgainstGiants</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Someone from Gibbs’ past shows up and puts Jack in danger</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jethro Gibbs/Jacqueline "Jack" Sloane</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>101</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Sorry for the short chapter, hoping to put a couple more in, have been wanting to write another fic for a while. Hopefully you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They’d had an argument 6 hours prior to him now being stood in MTAC waiting for news. He’d told her. He’d warned her that she would get hurt. The warning had definitely been to protect him as well as her. It had been a long time since he’d had someone he could trust so completely with his heart and his story. Someone who didn’t judge him but tried to guide him to where he needed to be. Sure, he had Ducky, but where she was concerned, the last partner he’d had that he could trust the way he trusted Jack was probably Shannon. So now here he was stood in MTAC his chest feeling tight because he’d stormed out of his own house 6 hours ago leaving her behind after she’d tried to help him and now, she was gone.</p><p>The case they were on had dredged up an unsavoury character from his past. Someone he’d put away for several murders. At the time a young sailor who had killed 3 superior officers who had stopped a promotion due to his behaviour towards a few of his female colleagues. He’d been released 2 months prior, obviously the guy, Geoff Hunter, had been planning his revenge for a long time.</p><p>6 hours and 13 minutes had now passed. He was still in MTAC, 3 hours had passed since he’d realised she wasn’t just ignoring his calls. 3 hours had passed since he’d realised, he’d been rather petulant walking out on her, and now 3 hours had passed since he’d started running through the ‘what if’s’. Only she could muddle his brain the way she did, he was growing increasingly frustrated with how unhelpful his mind was being, only supplying him with worse case scenario’s and reminding him of how he’d landed in this situation.</p><p>“Gibbs,” Vance called from the entrance behind him, Grace following not far behind, “have we got any leads?”</p><p>“Just waiting to interview one of the guards who was placed in the prison throughout Hunter’s time there.” Vance had just nodded in response.</p><p> </p><p>**** </p><p> </p><p>The interview had been brief but helpful. It turned out that Hunter was a bit of a loud mouth, things hadn’t changed much then, he thought to himself. He’d turned to exit behind Vance until Grace stood in his way.</p><p>He raised his eyebrow, “Somethin’ I can help ya with Doc?”</p><p>She huffed out an annoyed breath in response, “Cut the crap Popeye, tell me how you’re doing.” It wasn’t a question. It wasn’t quite a demand, but it wasn’t a friendly request either.</p><p>He shrugged, “’M fine Doc.”</p><p>He stepped to the side to go around her but found his path immediately blocked, “Come on Popeye, you might not like it, but talking about this will help, you wanna get out into the field and get her back? Then talk.”</p><p>His shoulders dropped, she was right and he knew it, didn’t mean he had to like it, “I Shouldn’ta left. Should have stayed and talked, she always ends up being right in the long run, knows what I need, but I didn’t want to hear it. I walked out of the house when she told me I was getting too personally involved, just needed some fresh air. I was gonna come back Doc, I just needed a minute where she wasn’t looking at me, knowing everything.”</p><p>Grace placed a hand on his shoulder, “And that’s okay Popeye. She’d probably be chewing your head off if she knew how much you were kicking yourself right now.”</p><p>His eyes met hers and it was one of the few times that she could honestly say she saw every emotion he was feeling, “I can’t lose this one Grace, that would be it for me.” </p><p>“Then get your head in the game Popeye, she needs you, and you thinking about worse case scenarios isn’t helping anyone, it’s just slowing you down. Rest of your team is waiting, she’s their family too.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope this chapter lives up to expectations, please enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“You can’t keep doing this to yourself Gibbs, you have to take a step back, breathe.” Her eyes burning into his begging him to just listen for once without digging his heels in.</p><p>“Doin’ what Jack? I don’t need’ta breathe, I’m fine.” He was slowly becoming agitated with her. She’d been glancing at him since they’d caught the case the previous day. Worry in her eyes, making him feel on edge wondering if the rest of his team saw it or whether it was just her, the woman who’d annoyingly taken up residence in his thoughts for the past 3 and a half years. </p><p>Her features hardened, ready for a battle she knew she wasn’t going to win straight away, he could see her mentally preparing herself for the long drawn out fight they were about to have over those case. </p><p>“Don’t deflect, you’re already snapping at people, you’re the best at what you do but you just need to take a step back, look at this case from another perspective, sometimes fresh eyes help.” Her tone had softened trying to put him at ease and get through to him all at once. </p><p>Blue eyes challenged brown as he glared at her, “I don’t need fresh eyes, and I don’t need to breathe.” </p><p>This battle had been lost for now, she knew it and so did he, but she also knew with space he’d figure it out, she had faith in him, he just needed a little more in himself. </p><p>He’d turned and left through the front door of his own house door slamming in his wake as she called out to him, “Just be careful.” </p><p>The breath that rushed out of her as she sat back on his couch felt heavy. Hoping he’d at least absorbed some of what she was trying to tell him, enough that he could do what he needed in order to catch the ghost from his past. </p><p>A knock sounded at the door a few minutes after he’d left, she knew it wouldn’t be him, but anyone else that she could think of that might visit would usually just walk in if they thought he was home. She pushed herself from the couch, the tiredness she felt leaving her limbs feeling heavy. As she opened the door she’d barely had time to react. Geoff Hunter stood before her, his hair dishevelled and the smirk plastered on his face told her that everything was about to take a turn for the worst.</p><p> </p><p>****</p><p> </p><p>6 hours and 23 minutes. When was the last time 6 hours had felt so long to him? It was a new kind of torture, a mental kind he thought that no one else could ever inflict on him. He’d been sat at his desk staring at a blank screen for 7 minutes, his chest tight and his brain utterly useless to him. </p><p>He slammed his hand down on his desk in frustration. Getting up and heading towards the elevator, “Boss?” The question was laced with worry. </p><p>Gibbs didn’t look back, his stride never breaking, “Get me a location Tim.” He tried to make the demand sound strong, and it would have been if not for the hint of desperation that seeped through. </p><p> </p><p>****</p><p> </p><p>He’d snapped at the barista, and that’s when he’d made the decision to take the long route back to work. He just needed to take a breath, just 5 minutes, that’s all he needed. Could time just stop? Give him a chance to catch back up, so he could lift the weight sat on his chest, stop the nausea slowly creeping in with every minute that ticked by. Maybe he could stop his head from feeling like it was spinning at a hundred miles an hour. </p><p>He found a bench a minute or two later, “You have to take a step back, breathe.” Her words rang loudly in his head. </p><p>Okay, so she was right, again. He leant back into the bench, closing his eyes and focusing on his breathing. In, one, two, three, four, out, one, two, three, four. The nausea had dissipated, and the spinning sensation had eased. He’d felt like an idiot the first time Jack had shown him the breathing exercise, but she’d been patient, she never laughed at him, just smiled reassuringly, and held his hand as she’d taught him the exercise in his basement one night a few weeks ago. </p><p>Once he’d felt more stable he got up from the bench, and that’s when it hit him. The warehouse where they’d found Hunter hiding in his first arrest, that’s where they’d go, that’s where they’d find him. A new determination ran through him, he’d find her, and he wouldn’t let anything else happen to her.</p>
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